So after that debacle, we made the one hour flight back to Frankfurt Hahn and bussed to Mainz for the night. Stayed in the popular InterCity hotel, just a couple of blocks from the main train station and a one mile walk to the Rhein River cruise. We were pleasantly surprised with the accommodations and the Read more

Departing London we were introduced to the reason why Ryanair gets such bad press. They warn you about carry-ons – have to meet certain size and weight standards. I had carefully measured our luggage and it fit the requirements, except for the wheels at the base. Departing Frankfurt Hahn for London, there was a cage-like container where Read more

Traveling to London was a daylong affair since we chose to fly out of Frankfurt-Hahn airport, which houses Ryanair, the cheapy airline of Europe (and we found out why…later). It takes a few hours on 3 trains, then a couple of hours on a bus to get there. Tiny airport and first come, first seated…one can Read more

Not able to upload photos right now but lots to come. Got a lot of video of the marathon, up close and personal. These athletes are so amazing that they can continue a pace after so many miles. The made four passes down Northumberland and by the last lap the final runner was still receiving a much Read more

Today’s plan is to ride the Black Forest Railroad through farmlands, valleys and little towns full of great architecture, green grass and whatever else we might see. We’ve even seen fields of solar panels, then you’ll see a wind turbine, or several, next to a cluster of houses, always with a church steeple peeking through. Ruediger told Read more

Spent part of the day in Nuremburg in the Old Town which is surrounded by a huge wall and moat along with a castle on a hill, and ancient cathedrals interspersed with modern shopping areas and biergartens. It’s overwhelming to think of the history here and I won’t bore you with it, but following are photos which cannot capture Read more

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Our travel day was, for the most part, uneventful…everything went as planned. We only missed one train, due to our error of boarding a first class car by mistake, and upon realizing it, hopped off but by the time we reached the second class section the train was closing up and leaving the track. Not Read more

Ruediger and Belana arrived early Friday morning (2 a.m.) as their flights were delayed…so we were all ready for bed as soon as they got here. We’ve been showing them around the beach and helping Belana with her English…very sweet girl. Ruediger brought gifts (the beer is already gone!) and loves our heat and humidity, Read more

It’s time to dust off this dormant blog and get it back in circulation. We’re leaving for Germany on Sunday as part of a home exchange with a family from Nuremberg and will use this as a central portal for pictures and journal entries. Our German visitors are Ruediger and his 9-year-old daughter, Belana, who will Read more

Aargh…another month goes by without a blog entry. If I were making resolutions, my first would be to post more…but then, I’m not making any resolutions, just going to try harder. Below is an excellent piece from Caring.com about just that subject… By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor Last updated: December 26, 2008 Six New Read more

Check out my Living in the Middle column in the Hometown News Forever Young December publication… Read more

Check out my new monthly column in the Forever Young insert of the Hometown News (page 8)…Life in the Middle. It will be about dealing with the many layers of the sandwich generation in which many of us find ourselves. A new edition is published the beginning of each month. On a sad note, the Read more

Recently I jumped at the opportunity to attend my forty-fifth high school reunion. Orlando in the late sixties was a much different place in which to grow up than it is now. Weekends would find us at the Orlando Youth Center, which is still a viable community gathering site in the middle of town. What better Read more

I met Don at a columnists’ convention last year and, even though we don’t share the same politics, I like his latest column… Baby Boomer’s Method to Occupy Wall Street  Look what’s happening out in the streets Got a revolution,  Got to revolution — Jefferson Airplane I’ve been expecting Occupy Wall Street to happen for Read more

October 2nd marked dad’s 87th birthday. We all celebrated at a favorite restaurant where they know us from numerous family gatherings. Mom and dad used to frequent the place a lot til mom got wary of driving so far. Dad remembered the restaurant but didn’t remember the menu and had a difficult time choosing a Read more

This is good advice for those who cannot help but take personally the words of their spouse or family member. It’s easy to say “Just let it go”, but not so easy when you are the target of the verbal abuse. By Paula Spencer Scott,  Caring.com senior editor There’s a tricky underbelly to caregivers’ intense Read more

My friend, Tory, passed this article along by John Shore, whose blogs appear on johnshore.com along with his writings for Huffington Post…  15 Ways to Stay Sane While Caring For an Elderly Parent One of the most emotionally complex and difficult things a person can experience is taking care of an elderly parent. I recently Read more

It was an interesting weekend with mom and dad staying with us at the beach. We picked them up Saturday, stopping for lunch along the way back, with plans for a “Back to School” barbeque on Sunday. Dad was in pretty good form throughout, with no “phantom pains” popping up. He was engaged with mom, in Read more

Dad’s getting a kick out of his great-grandson, Carter’s, newfound ability to sniff a straw wrapper and make it look like a mustache. We all got together for my husband, Charlie’s, birthday and Patty’s impending birthday on Tuesday. Everyone behaved…sort of… Read more

Obviously getting a loved one tested for dementia early is important. But it’s a touchy situation convincing them they might have an issue with memory. We took the “sneaky” approach mentioned in the Care.com article, “How do I convince my dad to get tested for dementia?” By giving his doctor a “heads up” about our Read more

Patty and I took mom to a Caregivers’ Support Group meeting at the Winter Park Library, yesterday. Only one other person attended so mom got much needed attention from Linda, the facilitator. She shed a few tears, which was a good thing, and was reminded that she has to take care of herself as well as Read more

The Orange County, FL, Commission on Aging offers a free monthly email newsletter  summarizing the activities of the COA and other initiatives in the community. Each month the COA informs citizens about senior transportation issues, scam alerts, events scheduled in the community and tons of other useful info. If you would like to subscribe to this Read more

Happy Monday…waking up to a blurb on the Today Show about 30 somethings dreading the fact that they are turning 40. Sorry, can’t relate, until you fast forward 30 years later…I’m trying to enjoy my sixties as much as I can, in anticipation of my seventies looming down the road. It’s all relative. Just enjoy Read more

So many of our kids don’t want us to invade their Facebook privacy…here’s the reverse from Huffington Post… Read more

OrlandoSentinel.com Law should allow choice of death over dementia Mike Thomas April 25, 2011 We need a physician-assisted suicide law in Florida. Only we should go beyond the laws approved by voters in Washington and Oregon. They allow people with terminal diseases to obtain a lethal prescription of drugs from a doctor. This does not Read more

This informative article was published on Medhelp.org, explaining the difference between the terms “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s”… What is Dementia? When large numbers of nerve cells in the brain to stop functioning and lose connections with other neurons, thereby disconnecting parts of the brain that normally work together, dementia is the result. It’s not a disease Read more

The Daytona Beach News Journal published a thought-provoking article about baby-boomers trying to make their own ends meet while tending to ailing parents. “Of those caring for someone aged 65 or older, the average age of caregivers is 63, with one-third of the caregivers in fair to poor health themselves.” It’s a local take on Read more

Check out this article in the Daytona Beach News Journal about our daughter, Alison, and her experience with Epilepsy. If you’re in the New Smyrna Beach area Saturday, the 9th, join us for our annual Walk the Talk event to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida. Read more

The Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell’s take on slashing the Ombudsman program in the state of Florida. This, mostly volunteer, program costs the state very little and has done so much good for those seniors who cannot defend themselves from abuse. This issue is so worthy of the effort of calling and/or writing your congressmen/women. Read more

Jacksonville, FL – ElderSource announced that it is now accepting applications for ‘SNAP,’ the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, for elders 60 years of age or older. SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps, is not welfare but a program that helps stretch your food budget without taking away from any other benefits. In order to Read more

If you can afford assisted living care, why not use that money and live on a cruise ship? After returning from a recent cruise, my husband and I decided we are not really “cruisers”, so to speak. We enjoyed our vacation and the ports of call; however, we found ourselves kind of bored during the Read more

This is an interesting article about various new markets that have been generated by our generation… http://www.aarp.org/work/work-life/info-02-2011/boomers-mean-business.html Read more

Whether or not you’re part of the “Sandwich Generation”, you’ll love this Grilled Cheese Social website – when you need some comfort food, go with grilled cheese sandwiches. McKenzie’s website is full of yummy recipes…some bizarre…but all are creative. We are lucky to be neighbors of her parents, Sheila and Brett, and get to witness Read more

 We’ve all heard of the ‘Sandwich Generation’ but we might take it one step further and call it the ‘Dagwood Generation’. When you are squeezed between aging parents, children and then add grandchildren to the mix, you might feel like you are getting lost among the layers of needy family members. Are there times when you Read more